Mathematics education launched for refugees in Lebanon

14 Dec 2017

Can’t Wait to Learn (CWTL) - War Child's programme to provide conflict-affected children with quality education - has reached an important milestone. October 2017 saw the programme launch in Lebanon to provide vulnerable children with quality mathematics education. The coming months 1,500 Syrian and Palestinian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese children will learn mathematics by making use of an custom-made Arabic educational game on a tablet.

Refugee children in Lebanon are learning math with a tablet

Participating children will be able to learn mathematics from grades one to five. All learning materials are custom-made and adapted to the Lebanese curriculum and context – and a literacy component will soon follow.

The children participating in Lebanon are Syrian refugees, Palestinian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese children. Both boys and girls aged between ten and 14 years old are currently taking part. These children live in a country where almost one in every four inhabitants is a refugee - and have until now had restricted opportunities to access education.

Can’t Wait to Learn (CWTL) is designed to effectively help children catch up on their education to quickly improve their skills and knowledge - and so join formal and government-endorsed accelerated learning programmes. Participating children will learn and play for 45 minutes a day, five days a week, mainly in community centres. Can’t Wait to Learn works closely in partnership with the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education, who asked us to specifically focus on this group of children.

Giving children a chance to learn

Can't Wait to Learn is a global programme that provides conflict-affected children with quality education - no matter where they are. Children play curriculum-based educational games on tablets to learn in an effective and fun way. The first children to try the innovative maths classes in Lebanon were very enthusiastic - and wanted to play much longer than for just 45 minutes. “I love to play very much and I am very happy that we can learn while playing this game,” (girl, 14). “I studied math before, but this way is more fun!” (girl, 11). “Because the game is entertaining it allows me to concentrate,” (girl, 11). “I loved the game because it implements our traditions,” (boy, 12).

With Can’t Wait to Learn, children always learn at their own pace, and discover how their skills are directly applicable in their own lives. In the Lebanese games children move up through different game levels by playing ‘mini-games’ which see them help different characters with their professions - such as a baker, a farmer, a teacher and a security guard. The games include instructions in audio and video – voiced mainly by local children and teenagers.

Research is in the dna of our programming

In Lebanon, the first 1,500 children in our programme will participate in an observational, multi-site ‘proof of concept’ study. Based on the outcomes of this study, we will adapt and improve our methods where necessary. The results will also give the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education the opportunity to decide on the future of the programme. Can’t Wait to Learn hopes to reach 35,000 children in Lebanon by the end of 2020 – and to soon incorporate further mathematics, literacy and psychosocial support components in its programming - in Arabic, French and English.

Partners and supporters

Can’t Wait to Learn in Lebanon is a collaboration between the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), War Child, TNO and Butterfly Works. TNO has contributed to the project with research, distance learning and gamification knowledge. The programme is implemented through a network of local and international partners. Donors for the Lebanon programme include IKEA Foundation and the CISCO Foundation.

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